Fairfield University Head Coach Joe Frager has announced the addition of Gail (Strumpf) Cheney ’01, Sabra Wrice ’08, and Stephanie Geehan ’10 to the women’s basketball staff. Cheney and Wrice will serve as Assistant Coaches while Geehan takes over as the Director of Women’s Basketball Operations.
"I’m very pleased to welcome Gail, Sabra, and Stephanie back to Fairfield University as a part of the women’s basketball coaching staff," Frager said. "They enjoyed highly successful careers at Fairfield and beyond, playing professionally and coaching at various levels. It speaks volumes that three former student-athletes jumped at the opportunity to return to Fairfield. Gail, Sabra, and Stephanie epitomize what it means to be a Stag and we look forward to them helping our program achieve even greater success. "
Cheney spent the last two seasons as the head varsity basketball coach at Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden, Conn. while also serving as the Stags color commentator on radio broadcasts during 2012-13. Prior to Sacred Heart Academy, Cheney spent seven years as the head varsity basketball coach at Woodland Regional. Cheney is one of the most decorated women’s basketball players in Fairfield history. A three-time First Team All-MAAC selection, Cheney is Fairfield’s all-time leading scorer with 1,873 points. She also hauled in 1,106 rebounds in her four-years, ranking second on that list. Cheney also played professionally in the National Women’s Basketball League as well as in Germany. In 2010, Cheney was inducted into the Fairfield University Alumni Association Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2012, she was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and elected into the MAAC Basketball Hall of Fame Honor Roll.
Wrice spent last season coaching internationally at the Sheffield Hallam University and for the City of Sheffield Hatters in England. Prior to her time in England, Wrice was a head coach for two seasons at Fisher College. Wrice is well-known to the Fairfield University community, as she was a four-year letterwinner for the Stags and graduated seventh all-time in scoring (1,577) and fourth in steals (220). The four-time All-MAAC selection was named as Fairfield’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2008 and still holds the school record for points in a game (36). After graduation in 2008, Wrice played professionally in England, receiving numerous accolades, before turning to coaching.
Geehan served as an assistant coach at Daniel Webster College in New Hampshire during the 2012-13 campaign after spending three years playing professionally in Europe. Geehan is only one of four players in Fairfield history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She is third all-time in rebounding (1,050), 23rd in scoring (1,112), and is the program leader in blocks (238). Geehan was a three-time All-MAAC selection for the Stags and named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2010.
Fairfield went 18-14 overall and 11-7 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Stags secured their third national postseason bid in the last four seasons, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitational.
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